The Transformations of Ivy Style

3505 Views 21 Replies 7 Participants Last post by fishertw, Jun 13, 2021

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Discussion Starter · May 31, 2021

The following post from Permanent Style by a guest writer captures some of the transformations of American Ivy Style in other countries. The Japanese version is well-known -- I had read David Marx's Ametora which the writer refers to, and which is about the development of Japanese Ivy style. The British have long adapted some of the elements of Ivy style into their own trad styles. But I had not heard of French Ivy. It seems that traditional styles in many societies have been influenced by trad style in the US. Here's the piece:

https://www.permanentstyle.com/2021/05/what-is-french-ivy.html

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215339

· #12 · Jun 7, 2021

@fishertw Happen to know any makers that will do different sizes for the same pair of shoes? Makers that will actually let me do a trial run with mail-in fittings are preferred. I swear Rancourt used to do this.

I'm noticing my feet are getting wider over the years, so I'm hesitant on even doing this. "Buy it for life" has now turned into "buy it for five years."

My one foot is short and wide, the other one is longer and narrower.

I've compromised by stretching the hell out of every pair, but it's never truly comfortable.

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215339

· #15 · Jun 8, 2021

fishertw said:
I do not know of any except Russell Moccasin. They take drawings of your feet and custom make the shoes. However-- they do not accomodate for orthotics in the construction of their shoes and have a statement to that effect on their website.. I have an order coming from them in the mail as I write this for a pair of penny loafers from their sale listings in a 10EEE which I hope will accomodate the orthotics and my feet as well. I can usually wear a 10EEE with the orthotics however before orthotics I was in a 9C so the orthotics do make a world of difference in size.. I've now given away and bought at least a couple of thousand dollars worth of shoes from various Mfg.s replacing a lot of really good Alden shoes in the past four or five years. Good luck in your search.

Thank you so much Fisher, I really appreciate it. This is exactly what I'm looking for, their chukka/boot and loafer designs seem the most appealing to me.

I hope those loafers work out for you, do let us know how the purchase goes when they arrive. I find loafers an especially difficult fit.

Have you ever thought about going full bespoke? I have, but I can't mentally justify $3000-5000 on a pair of shoes...not yet anyway!

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215339

· #17 · Jun 12, 2021

fishertw said:
Full bespoke would be well above my price range. Being retired and not really needing ANYTHING, I just sort of search until I find things which "scratch an itch" like the Russells that I found in their sale section. Still hoping they work out. The company is really small and I did not get shipping information so they could be arriving by horse and buggy for all I know. It really does seem like a one or two person show but they do seem to know what they are doing.

While not retired, you summed up my thoughts.

I realized my shoe collection is pretty much done at 7-8 pairs.

Here's to hoping those loafers work out! I'd give them a call if concerned, I do that sometimes with small operations.

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215339

· #19 · Jun 12, 2021

TKI67 said:
It is wild how many shoes I managed to collect, rotate, and wear regularly when I was at the bank in the late '70s and early '80s and how few I have now, yet still do not use them all. Other than athletic shoes, flip flops, and rarely worn western boots, two pairs of LHS (snuff suede and CXL), one pair of tassel loafers (no. 8), one pair of Quoddys (Maliseets), and one pair of regular beat up dark brown Sperrys is both my entire collection and more than I need. I could lose the snuff suede LHS and the Sperrys and still feel well shod. Ditto for the dusty Luccheses in the corner of the closet.

My most formal pair of shoes I own are a pair of dark brown wingtips on a sleek last. I do find it interesting the parallel we share for owning mostly casual shoes.

I've never had the need or want for anything like a pair of black captoes.

I'm glad I culled my collection overall, and that included many basketball sneakers. They just simply didn't get worn.

I used to have an issue with only buying the 'shiny' shoes first, and built my wardrobe around them.

Wrong approach I realized, I had it backwards. It's been better for me to build my wardrobe first, and fit in shoes later.

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215339

· #21 · Jun 12, 2021

fishertw said:
If they don't arrive by Monday, I'll call them back. I counted recently and am at about 10 pair ranging from black AE Sheltons to Merrill low cut hiking shoes. My favorites right now are Gokey oxfords and AE boat shoes. Not having worn a tie or jacket for over a year and a half, I've little use for anything that is dressy in any way. Always good to compare notes.
Cheers, Tom

I had to look up Gokey oxfords, and I love how these look.

I used to buy sleeker and sleeker shoes, but I realized they didn't fit as well into the overall aesthetic of my wardrobe.

Chunkier shoes and silhouettes generally slot into everything I wear much nicer.

I can see these being worn with an outfit like this.

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